I had all but given up
Desperate for a sign from love
Something good, something kind
Bringing peace to every corner of my mind
Then I saw the garden, hope had come to me
To sweep away the ashes
And wake me from my sleep
I realized You never left
And for this moment You planned ahead
That I would see
Your faithfulness in all of the green
I can see the ivy growing through the wall
‘Cause You will stop at nothing
To heal my broken soul
I can see the ivy reaching through the wall
‘Cause You will stop at nothing
To heal my broken soul
Faith is rising up like ivy, reaching for the light
Hope is stirring deep inside me
Making all things right
Love is lifting me from sorrow
Catching every tear
Dispelling every lie and torment
Crushing all my fears
Now I see redemption growing in the trees
The death and resurrection in every single seed
The Garden
The Garden Song Meaning, Biblical Reference and Inspiration
Kari Jobe's song "The Garden," released on January 27, 2017, presents a profound journey from despair to renewed hope and faith. It opens with a raw depiction of feeling completely lost, having given up, and desperately needing a sign of love and peace to quiet a troubled mind. This initial state resonates with anyone who has faced overwhelming challenges or periods of spiritual dryness, yearning for something good and kind to break through the darkness.
The turning point arrives with the sight of the garden. This image serves as a powerful metaphor for the presence and activity of God. The garden represents a place where hope arrives, capable of sweeping away the ashes of past failures or hurts and waking the soul from a state of spiritual slumber. The realization follows that divine presence was never absent; rather, this very moment of seeing and understanding was part of a planned restoration. The vibrant green seen within the garden becomes a tangible symbol of unwavering faithfulness and life blooming even after difficult seasons.
A particularly striking image is the ivy growing through the wall, repeated for emphasis. This illustrates God's relentless and persistent nature in reaching into seemingly inaccessible or broken places within the soul. The wall represents barriers – perhaps built by trauma, fear, or doubt – that seem impenetrable. Yet, the image of ivy signifies that divine effort will stop at nothing to bring healing to a broken soul, persistently weaving through obstacles to bring life and restoration.
The song beautifully articulates the transformative power of faith, hope, and love rising within the individual. Faith is depicted actively growing, like ivy reaching instinctively for the light, drawn towards truth and life. Hope stirs deep within, not passively, but actively making things right. Love takes on a comforting role, lifting the weight of sorrow, catching every tear shed in pain, and actively working to dispel lies and torment while crushing fears that hold one captive. These forces are presented not as abstract concepts, but as dynamic realities bringing about inner change.
Finally, the garden reveals a deeper spiritual truth: redemption growing visibly within the trees. The natural cycle of life and death inherent in planting a seed, its burial leading to new growth and bearing fruit, becomes a powerful parallel to the Christian narrative of death and resurrection. This cyclical process seen in every single seed speaks to the promise of new life and redemption emerging even from moments of ending, illustrating that death is not the final word but can lead to glorious resurrection and spiritual rebirth. This imagery connects the song's personal journey of hope and healing to the foundational truth of redemptive history, offering a rich wellspring of encouragement. Related scripture themes include finding beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3), being like a tree planted by streams of water (Psalm 1:3), the concept of a seed dying to produce much fruit (John 12:24), and the promise that in Christ, all things are being made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
